Pollution Woes: Research Shows Shorter Life Expectancy for Northerners

Steven Schwankert | Jul 12, 2013 3:00 pm | 1 comment | 2157 reads

For those of you fighting that Beijing versus Shanghai battle, the winner may now be a little clearer: Life expectancy for people living in northern China was 5.5 years shorter than that of their southern counterparts, a new study found Monday.

Conducted between 1980 and 2000, the research found that particulate matter in the air of northern China – indicative of coal burning used for generation of power and heat – was 55 percent higher, said the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study comes after one of China's most polluted winters on record, and, despite green measures by all of the world's major countries, coal is about to become the world's leading source of energy. China currently relies on coal for about 70 percent of its power and heating needs, a number the government seeks to reduce to about 60 percent by 2030.

Beijing continues to struggle with pollution generated by a variety of sources, including industry, automobiles and construction.

Photo: Steven Schwankert

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Re: Pollution Woes: Research Shows Shorter Life Expectancy ...
Posted Jul 12, 2013 6:52pm by Jerry

In the meantime, the Ministry of Environmental Protection claims this study is "unconvincing."

Quote:
Liu Zhiquan, an official with the ministry, told China News Service on Wednesday that the pollutants emitted in coal burning include heavy metals, small particles and sulfur dioxide, which can affect human health, but whether the pollution can shorten lives or not is still unknown.

It will take a long-term observation to get such a result, Liu said.

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